ABC Problem
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CL500
ABC Problem
I didn't drive the car for about a month and when I looked at the car the front right side was so low that it was almost hitting the tire. I turned the car on and hit the botton that raises the car and the car jumped up and everything was fine. After driving it for a while the ABC light came on telling me to take it to the shop, so I turned the car off and on and the light disappeared. That was two weeks ago and everything has been fine since until today. I did the same thing and everything seems fine. So should I take it to the shop or is there something I can do. Please advice. Thank you
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C63s Cabriolet, BMW M4, Civic
I didn't drive the car for about a month and when I looked at the car the front right side was so low that it was almost hitting the tire. I turned the car on and hit the botton that raises the car and the car jumped up and everything was fine. After driving it for a while the ABC light came on telling me to take it to the shop, so I turned the car off and on and the light disappeared. That was two weeks ago and everything has been fine since until today. I did the same thing and everything seems fine. So should I take it to the shop or is there something I can do. Please advice. Thank you
That's normal when you parked the car for weeks.
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'16 S550 Coupe, '11 Lexus LS460, '02 CL500 (SOLD)
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2005 SL55, 2000 CL500
The One Week Rule sounds right. Otherwise I would take it in.
My 2000 will hold for about 3 weeks.
But by then the Battery is dead unless its on a trickle charger.
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Thread Starter
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CL500
do you guys also get the ABC light on that tells you to take it to the dealer? it went on 3 times in the past 3 weeks after I didnt drive it for a while. today I took it to this mechanic and he just added some fluid and said that if i want he will replace the filters with the new once (3microns). Does that seem correct or do you think it's bigger ABC problem?
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do you guys also get the ABC light on that tells you to take it to the dealer? it went on 3 times in the past 3 weeks after I didnt drive it for a while. today I took it to this mechanic and he just added some fluid and said that if i want he will replace the filters with the new once (3microns). Does that seem correct or do you think it's bigger ABC problem?
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CL500
they say thats normal. the mechanic told me not to worry about it all he said to do was change the filter to the 3 micron one. but since u have a 06 CL you should have the new one so i think u r ok
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From: Northern NJ
E90 N54 & W251
The one week rule sounds about right. There are a number of reasons that may cause the drop.
1. Dirt in the ABC system may be obstructing the check valves in one of the valve blocks. Replace with 3 Micron filter then raise and lower the car about 15 times using the dash button (Speaking of, I'm due for this too). This will force the dirty fluid to pass through the new filter and clean it. After you're done, replace the filter again.
2. Faulty front or rear valve block. There are 2 valve blocks, one in the front and one in the rear for each axle. Each valve block distributes fluid to the struts. When the car is shut down, it should go into a bypass/closed state. If the internal valves are not closing properly for whatever reason, ABC fluid is slowly returned back to the reservoir, causing the car to drop over time. Even under normal conditions, some fluid WILL return; The question is how fast. Some are more chronic than others. If it drops to the floor after a day, you have a problem. Over week however, one shouldn't loose sleep over.
For those of you that have WIS, there is a lot of ABC info in there. Every now and then to kill some time, I lay back and geek out for a few hours.
1. Dirt in the ABC system may be obstructing the check valves in one of the valve blocks. Replace with 3 Micron filter then raise and lower the car about 15 times using the dash button (Speaking of, I'm due for this too). This will force the dirty fluid to pass through the new filter and clean it. After you're done, replace the filter again.
2. Faulty front or rear valve block. There are 2 valve blocks, one in the front and one in the rear for each axle. Each valve block distributes fluid to the struts. When the car is shut down, it should go into a bypass/closed state. If the internal valves are not closing properly for whatever reason, ABC fluid is slowly returned back to the reservoir, causing the car to drop over time. Even under normal conditions, some fluid WILL return; The question is how fast. Some are more chronic than others. If it drops to the floor after a day, you have a problem. Over week however, one shouldn't loose sleep over.
For those of you that have WIS, there is a lot of ABC info in there. Every now and then to kill some time, I lay back and geek out for a few hours.
Last edited by ~CL500~; Aug 17, 2008 at 07:45 PM.
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From: Northern NJ
E90 N54 & W251
I'm not aware of any specified interval for filter replacement and I don't believe one exists. The only recommendation is to change the filter from the old 10 micron type to the 3 micron type. Be very careful when dong this as it should be conducted with surgical precision and cleanliness. Good luck.
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CL500
I would advice everyone to take their car in and get the ABC oil and filter replaced. It only cost me $24 for the filter and about $20 for the oil and the work. When the oil came out it was almost as dark as the motor oil and I only have 40K miles on it, but it's a 2001. This simple service can save you a lot of money for the hydrolic pumps. After I did it I haven't had any problems with the car dropping or the lights coming on.
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I would advice everyone to take their car in and get the ABC oil and filter replaced. It only cost me $24 for the filter and about $20 for the oil and the work. When the oil came out it was almost as dark as the motor oil and I only have 40K miles on it, but it's a 2001. This simple service can save you a lot of money for the hydrolic pumps. After I did it I haven't had any problems with the car dropping or the lights coming on.
Last edited by BlownV8; Aug 26, 2008 at 10:41 PM.
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From: Calgary Alberta Canada
2001 Mercedes CL500 2006 E350 4-matic
I would advice everyone to take their car in and get the ABC oil and filter replaced. It only cost me $24 for the filter and about $20 for the oil and the work. When the oil came out it was almost as dark as the motor oil and I only have 40K miles on it, but it's a 2001. This simple service can save you a lot of money for the hydrolic pumps. After I did it I haven't had any problems with the car dropping or the lights coming on.
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CL500
everything came out to about $64. I watched him and he opened a new bottle but I dont know what kind it is. I hope it was the correct kind. If it wasnt, how long will it take to find out if he put the wrong kind? I have put about 200 miles since the service.
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Regular mineral based hydraulic fluid is very cheap. The right kind of fluid is very expensive. Oh man, I sure hope you haven't destroyed your ABC system. This could really cost you thousands.
Last edited by BlownV8; Aug 27, 2008 at 08:56 AM.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Northern NJ
E90 N54 & W251
The one week rule sounds about right. There are a number of reasons that may cause the drop.
1. Dirt in the ABC system may be obstructing the check valves in one of the valve blocks. Replace with 3 Micron filter then raise and lower the car about 15 times using the dash button (Speaking of, I'm due for this too). This will force the dirty fluid to pass through the new filter and clean it. After you're done, replace the filter again.
2. Faulty front or rear valve block. There are 2 valve blocks, one in the front and one in the rear for each axle. Each valve block distributes fluid to the struts. When the car is shut down, it should go into a bypass/closed state. If the internal valves are not closing properly for whatever reason, ABC fluid is slowly returned back to the reservoir, causing the car to drop over time. Even under normal conditions, some fluid WILL return; The question is how fast. Some are more chronic than others. If it drops to the floor after a day, you have a problem. Over week however, one shouldn't loose sleep over.
For those of you that have WIS, there is a lot of ABC info in there. Every now and then to kill some time, I lay back and geek out for a few hours.
1. Dirt in the ABC system may be obstructing the check valves in one of the valve blocks. Replace with 3 Micron filter then raise and lower the car about 15 times using the dash button (Speaking of, I'm due for this too). This will force the dirty fluid to pass through the new filter and clean it. After you're done, replace the filter again.
2. Faulty front or rear valve block. There are 2 valve blocks, one in the front and one in the rear for each axle. Each valve block distributes fluid to the struts. When the car is shut down, it should go into a bypass/closed state. If the internal valves are not closing properly for whatever reason, ABC fluid is slowly returned back to the reservoir, causing the car to drop over time. Even under normal conditions, some fluid WILL return; The question is how fast. Some are more chronic than others. If it drops to the floor after a day, you have a problem. Over week however, one shouldn't loose sleep over.
For those of you that have WIS, there is a lot of ABC info in there. Every now and then to kill some time, I lay back and geek out for a few hours.
In the interest of posting accurate and good information, I wanted to add an addendum to my previous post. When replacing the ABC filter, Mercedes recommends that the rodeo program is run using SDS. This is the only way to ensure that all the ABC fluid is cycled through the new filter. Since I don't have an SDS computer, I will be using the method I prescribed above.
